27 December 2011

REVIEW: BLOOD RIGHTS

Born into the life of a comarre Chrsyabelle was raised to serve noble vampires and provide her blood on demand. When her master is killed mysteriously she runs away to escape being accused of his death, but with another very dangerous vampire on her tail she is forced to find help in outcast vampire Mal who can barely keep his own demons at bay. Together the two will have to try to save the mortal and vampire worlds from merging with dire consequences.

Review: Even though the main crux of the story revolves around vampires and their comarres, Blood Rights has a very grown up and complex feel to it. Partly because of the way its written, but also because it's not just about vampires and shifters; there is a whole world of 'comarres' (a bit like highly prized, live-in blood donors for vampires) as well as the rules and traditions that they follow.

The story is told from various perspectives, mostly outcast vampire Mal, rogue comarre Chrysabelle, and the evil vampire Tatiana. I really liked the stark differences between Chrysabelle and Mal, with Chrysabelle being confident and ready to kick butt despite being what is considered a servant to vampires, whilst Mal was certainly more uncertain and lacking in self-confidence. The contrast between them made for really great interaction and chemistry, and the sexual tension was certainly well written. I have to say that I think I preferred Mal's narrative, as he was such a self-punishing guy, thinking Chrysabelle wouldn't be interested in him, trying to refuse all human blood and basically holding himself back a lot. The shifts between the different characters did get a little confusing, as it would happen more by scene rather than chapter, but I did like seeing the world from different viewpoints.

The secondary characters Doc and Fi were really interesting and added a lot of humour. Doc, a varkolai or shape shifter, and Fi, a ghost haunting Mal, are such a sweet but odd little couple. There are also unusual creatures and different types of Fae and ghosts, that make the story different and add in a lot of interesting elements to the plot.

The plot was really clever and engaging, with twists and surprises and lots of little leads tying in together. I was never bored and always guessing what might happen. The complexities of the world Painter has built means you can't predict where the story might go, and even though I know a little of where the story will go in book 2, Flesh & Blood, I really have no idea what will happen. But its intriguing and exciting and different and I really do want to carry on reading this series!